Create dimension relationships

If you create transactions where the value of 1 dimension is based on the value of another, you can create a relationship between the two dimensions to autofill the related value. For example, if you always use the same location for a specific customer, you can create a relationship between the Customer and Location dimensions. This sets the Location value automatically when you create a transaction against that customer.

Specifically, dimension relationships are useful for:

  • Autofilling dimension values: For example, you can select a customer and the system autofills the related location.
  • Filtering and validating dimensions: For example, you can select a specific location and the system displays only a subset of departments.
  • Cascading dimensions: For example, select a specific customer, and the system populates the related location, and the project, which is dependent on the selected location and department.

Creating relationships between dimensions automates and speeds up data entry and lowering the incidence of data-entry errors.

For more about dimension relationships, see About dimension relationships.

Dimension relationships were designed to be assistive for coding entries and not as a control mechanism. Smart rules is designed for control. If no values are present in a dimension value list, it treats all as valid. If you’re trying to use it as a control, remember that it errs on the permissive rather than restrictive side.

Step 1. Select the base dimension

To create a relationship between two dimensions, you select the base dimension, which is the dimension whose value will determine the value of the second dimension.

Subscription

Platform Services

Regional availability

All regions

User type

Business
Permissions

Business user with admin permissions
Restrictions

You can't export or import an application package that contains standard-to-standard dimension relationships. Import or export the package first, then manually create the relationships.
Associating dimensions with Projects defaults data throughout transaction entries and creates a predefined relationship. This relationship takes priority over other relationships defined in the General Ledger setup.

For example, Customer and Location could be so that the value of Customer (the base dimension) determines the value of location in transactions involving that customer.

  1. Go to Platform Services > All > Objects.

  2. Select Edit beside the base dimension. For example, if you want to create a relationship that specifies the value for location every time you use a specific customer, select Edit next to Customer, which is the base dimension in this example.
  3. Leave Enable override of autofilled objects unselected if you want this relationship to be fixed. Select Save to return to the object list.

In a fixed relationship case, enabling override defeats the purpose of creating the relationship because the user can pick any value from the dropdown list.

Conversely, if you want to default to a suggested value, but also want to leave the user free to select another value, as appropriate, enable override. Remember, if you've set up priority for possible conflict between multiple dimension relationships, enabling override won't be respected.

Dimension relationships are validated when a transaction is posted from the UI, CSV uploads, and API calls. However, there are some things to note.

  • When Enable filtered dropdown lists between dimension relationships is disabled, Allow override does not validate the relationship. Think of Allow override as an indication that dimension relationships are suggestions rather than rules. When you enable Allow override, the values in the dropdown don’t change. You’ll still see only the set of values in the relationship. However, you can enter a non-related dimension value directly.
  • If you haven’t assigned a dimension relationship value, any value is allowed.
    • Autofill works with “to-one” relationships. If a dimension relationship is “to-many” relationship, you can choose only a single value to autofill.
    • CSV imports and API calls don’t autofill even if they’re set to do so. Autofill works in the UI because Intacct automatically performs tasks that aren’t done when using a CSV file or API call.

The option to override autofilled dimension fields works only for newer pages, such as in order-entry, cash-management, time, expenses, and so forth.

Next step: Create a relationship between two dimensions